Hong Chengchou refused to go on a hunger strike, and Fan Wencheng asserted that it was dangerous. When the surrender is near, the move shows the will
Speaking of the turbulent years of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the name Hong Chengchou is a household name. He was an ordinary boy in Quanzhou, Fujian Province in the Ming Dynasty, and gradually reached the pinnacle of power with diligence and wisdom.
The fate of the Ming Dynasty was in jeopardy, and Hong Chengchou seemed to be the only savior. He led a large army to repel the peasant rebels along the way, rekindling hope for the already weak Ming court.
When the Ming Dynasty expected him to turn the tide, Hong Chengchou was defeated in a decisive battle with the Manchus and became a prisoner. This was undoubtedly the catastrophe of the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Chongzhen was heartbroken when he saw that his savior was reduced to a prisoner.
But to our surprise, Hong Chengchou accepted the kindness of the Manchu Emperor Taiji and surrendered to the Manchus shortly after being captured!
A high-ranking general of the Ming Dynasty was so easily succumbed to the sword. What was Hong Chengchou thinking? What kind of struggles and choices is he going through?
Maybe only Hong Chengchou himself knows, but we can only guess what will happen in a hundred years.
Hong Chengchou was the last straw of the Ming Dynasty.
Hong Chengchou was born in an ordinary craftsman family, and his family was poor when he was a teenager, and he only studied in a private school for a few years. But he was gifted and intelligent, and Mr. Private School took him very seriously. Under his careful teaching, Hong Chengchou passed the imperial examination and eventually grew from a poor boy to an important minister of the Ming Dynasty.
Hong Chengchou's career was smooth sailing. Soon after Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, a large-scale peasant uprising broke out in Shaanxi, and the Ming court sent generals to quell the rebellion.
Surprisingly, Hong Chengchou commanded well and won many battles. In the following years, he led his troops to crush several peasant uprisings in Shaanxi, Henan and other places, and won the high trust of Emperor Chongzhen.
In 1634, Hong Chengchou became an important minister of the Ming Dynasty, serving as the secretary of the military department, managing the military affairs of the five provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Huguang, and Sichuan. He has many generals such as Zuo Liangyu and Bai Guangen, and he can be said to be good at fighting.
At the same time, the Manchus outside the customs were getting smarter and wiser and would march towards the Central Plains. Since Chongzhen was eight years old, Huang Taiji began to lead his army south to break through the pass. With his rich experience in suppressing peasant uprisings, Hong Chengchou became an important force in resisting the Manchu invasion.
Hong Chengchou suggested to Emperor Chongzhen that in the face of the invasion of the Manchus, the Ming army should take every step of the way, stick to important cities, and wait for an opportunity. However, Chongzhen did not fully believe in Hong Chengchou, believing him to be selfish and self-serving, and repeatedly urged him to deal with the Manchus as soon as possible.
The two men disagreed on their strategy against Manchuria, which led to Hong Chengchou's later defeat.
Why did Hong Chengchou fall into the hands of the Qing army?
In the autumn of 1643, the Qing army marched south to attack Jinzhou. Jinzhou is an important geographical node connecting the inside and outside of the Guan, and Hong Chengchou had to lead the army to fight and desperately repel the Qing army.
However, the Qing army's tactics of cutting off the grain route, coupled with the infighting of the Ming army, Hong Chengchou was unable to hold Jinzhou. After more than a month of fierce fighting, the elite of the Ming army disappeared into the yellow sand, and Hong Chengchou was captured by the Qing army.
Hong Chengchou's defeat in Jinzhou was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Ming Dynasty. The fall of Jinzhou opened the door to Guanzhou, and the Qing army was able to enter Guanzhou. This battle became the last straw for the Ming Dynasty, and it is said that Emperor Chongzhen was cornered.
There were reasons for Hong Chengchou's failure, such as the difficulty in using troops, and the Qing army did not arrange the grain route. But the more important reason was that Cheng Quan's strategy of not adopting a step-by-step strategy, so that the entire deployment of the Ming army was flawed.
Although Hong Chengchou was arrested, he also got his wish.
After Hong Chengchou was captured, the Manchu Emperor Taiji took a fancy to his talent and persuaded him to surrender many times, hoping that he could serve the Qing Dynasty. However, Hong Chengchou was indignant and declared that he would never surrender, and even insulted the ** who instigated him to surrender.
Hong Chengchou, who was locked up in a prison cell, also went on a hunger strike. Hong Chengchou, who had not eaten for several days, was exhausted and looked like he would stop breathing at any moment.
Hong Chengchou's attitude towards his death also made Huang Taiji feel uneasy. It is astonishing that prisoners still do not know their fate.
Seeing that Hong Chengchou would rather starve to death than surrender, Huang Taiji felt that he had to find other ways to persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender, and he couldn't just rely on soft grinding and hard foaming. So, he sent his favorite minister Fan Wencheng to persuade Hong Chengchou to surrender.
Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou talked for a long time, but Hong Chengchou still seemed very stubborn and did not make the slightest movement.
What was Hong Chengchou thinking?
Hong Chengchou seems unshakable, but what is his heart?
He may have weighed the pros and cons. On the one hand, he still has some feelings for the Ming Dynasty and can't bear to surrender to the enemy. On the other hand, he has been reduced to a prisoner, and even if he escapes, it will be difficult for him to survive.
In addition, Hong Chengchou is not a loyal person. He will always be loyal only to his own cause, and will never be loyal to any emperor. From this point of view, surrender is also a way out.
Hong Chengchou may also be observing Huang Taiji's true intentions. Is Huang Taiji really persuading him to surrender? If he surrenders, what status will he get? These issues need to be carefully studied.
Hong Chengchou, as a scheming **, of course will not express his position easily. On the one hand, he pretends to be uncompromising, and on the other hand, he is secretly watching, waiting for the best time to surrender.
Hong Chengchou revealed his true thoughts with a small action.
Fan Wencheng saw that Hong Chengchou showed no signs of relaxing, so he argued with Hong Chengchou. Just as they were talking, a handful of dust suddenly fell from the roof of the cell and landed on Hong Chengchou's clothes.
I thought that Hong Chengchou would ignore it and let the dust blow away by itself. Fan Wencheng** knew that Hong Chengchou was slapping his clothes with his hand while talking, cleaning up the dust that fell on his body.
Hong Chengchou's small actions did not attract attention, but Fan Wencheng saw the clue from it. He realized that Hong Chengchou was more concerned about his musical instrument, which showed that he still had hope of survival and would not die easily.
Fan Wencheng reported this discovery to Huang Taiji. He said that Hong Chengchou's small actions exposed his true thoughts - he really couldn't redeem himself in his heart, and the moment of surrender was not far off.
Fan Wencheng was right. Hong Chengchou seems arrogant, but in fact he is about to give in. The reason why he did not stand up easily was only to fight for better terms of surrender.
Hong Chengchou finally decided to surrender.
At Fan Wencheng's suggestion, Huang Taiji decided to change his strategy and become more sympathetic to Hong Chengchou. Soon, Huang Taiji personally met with Hong Chengchou and personally clothed him with mink.
This solemn gesture finally broke Hong Chengchou's heart. As expected, under the combination of Huang Taiji's soft and hard work, he finally surrendered and pledged his allegiance to the Manchu Qing from then on.
After Hong Chengchou surrendered, Huang Taiji respected him very much. He again became Minister of Military Aircraft and in the years that followed he helped the Manchus conquer Jiangnan and the southwest. It can be said that without Hong Chengchou's submission, the difficulty of the Manchus entering Guanbei would have increased greatly.
In the year when Hong Chengchou surrendered, Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty saw that the general trend had gone and committed suicide in the coal mountain. Thus, the Ming Dynasty, which lasted for 276 years, fell. The fall of Hong Chengchou was undoubtedly the last straw that crushed the Ming Dynasty.
Hong Chengchou helped the Qing Dynasty eliminate the Ming Dynasty and create a new life.
After Hong Chengchou surrendered to the Manchus, he devoted the rest of his life to his former enemies.
With the help of Hong Chengchou, the Manchus conquered most of the south. Hong Chengchou used the connections and resources he had gained in the Ming Dynasty to appease many former Ming officers and soldiers.
Hong also reorganized his army, which included many of his favorite Ming generals. These loyal generals were loyal to Hong Chengchou personally and took the rectification of their masters for granted.
It can be said that Hong Chengchou transferred the power system he had established in the Ming Dynasty for decades to the Qing Dynasty, which greatly promoted the southern invasion of the Qing army. Huang Taiji also trusted him very much, and his political and military strength continued to grow.
With the cooperation of Hong Chengchou, Nanming's power was quickly weakened and suppressed, and finally he could only retreat to the remote mountainous areas. The only hope of a comeback in the Ming Dynasty was dashed.
By all accounts, Hong Chengchou's defection was one of the most important reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Without Hong Chengchou's help, the Manchus would have encountered greater resistance when entering the Central Plains.
Of course, Hong Seungchou has gained a new position in this transfer of power. He regained his position in the Manchurian system and finally lived out his old age in peace.
Is Hong Seungchou really expected to be elected?
Throughout Hong's life, we will find some signs that indicate that he finally decided to stop working.
First of all, Hong Chengchou is a very pragmatic person. Although he was outwardly loyal to the Ming Dynasty, he did not have many strong opinions in his heart. Hong Chengchou is only loyal to his career, so when the situation changes, it is easier for him to change his course.
Secondly, there is not much personal affection between Hong Chengchou and Chongzhen, Chongzhen does not believe in Hong Chengchou, he does not need Hong Chengchou, Hong Chengchou will naturally defect to himself. If there is another way out, Hong Chengchou will think twice.
In addition, Hong Chengchou was soberly aware that the national power of the Ming Dynasty was declining. In fact, as a seasoned politician, he made a more logical decision to surrender.
So, if we remember that Hong Chengchou surrendered, we should not accuse him too much of treason. At that moment in history, Hong Seungchou's choice may have been the best way for him to survive personally.
More importantly, Hong Chengchou's return did not fundamentally change the fate of the Ming Dynasty. Even without Hong Chengchou, the Qing Dynasty would be invincible. Hong Chengchou's role is to ease this historical process.
Of course, the fall of Hong Chengchou is undoubtedly a huge spiritual blow to the Ming Dynasty and generals who still have a glimmer of hope. But after all, the structure of history cannot be stopped by the will of individuals.
From today's point of view, Hong Chengchou's election has become a thing of the past. As the descendants of Hong Chengchou, we should not mourn or mourn, but should strive to draw lessons from history so that our nation can continue to advance on the road of rejuvenation and progress.
There have been too many desperate and painful choices in history. We can't ask everyone to be a hero, but we want people of all ages to have an ideal and a firm belief in national rejuvenation. Perhaps, this is what we need to do today.